In keeping with Penn State's recent focus on microbiome research, the University will join the International Alliance for Phytobiomes Research as a sponsoring partner, both organizations announced on June 6.

Melanie Miller Foster, assistant professor of international agriculture in the Office of International Programs, Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, received the 2017 Young Professional Award from the Association for International Agriculture and Rural Development.

Researchers at Penn State have received more than $1 million in first-year funding from the National Institutes of Health to investigate malaria transmission in Southeast Asia with a goal of working toward the disease's elimination in the region. They will receive up to approximately $9 million over seven years for this project.

fter a rigorous program review, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO, has renewed for another five years its support for the UNESCO Chair in Rural Community, Leadership, and Youth Development at Penn State. Mark Brennan, a faculty member in the College of Agricultural Sciences, will continue in his role as chair and provide leadership to the program.

Deanna Behring, assistant dean and director of international programs for the College of Agricultural Sciences, is the 2017 recipient of the Commission for Women's Achieving Women Award in the administrator category.

The Croton biofuels project highlighted in this Guardian article is funded by the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF). Dr. Mike Jacobson carried out a survey of 200 households to assess willingness to grow and collect Croton trees, its contribution to livelihoods and to develop a business case for Croton production and processing. Other Kenya projects Dr. Jacobson is currently involved in include market based approaches for the diffusion of clean cooking solutions, sustaining wood supply to tea industries, and developing wood pellet markets.

As you may have seen, a revised executive Order was issued Monday (March 6) by President Donald Trump. The new executive order, which will go into effect on March 16, 2017, removes Iraq from the list of seven countries impacted by the previous Order, and implements a 90-day suspension on issuance of new visas, including student visas, to citizens from Sudan, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia and Yemen who wish to travel to the United States (U.S.). An important distinction is that the new Order exempts current visa holders and those who held visas at the time the original Order was implemented. International students and scholars with valid F, M or J visas are not affected at this time. It also provides for a “case-by-case” waiver process for individuals from these six countries who fit certain criteria.

With global, interdisciplinary coursework and a robust study-abroad program, the international agriculture minor is attracting students from a wide range of majors.
The international agriculture minor, commonly referred to as INTAG, is an 18 credit minor offered by the College of Agricultural Sciences to help students cultivate an understanding of international development and the agricultural systems of various cultures throughout the world. The program features courses in a broad range of academic fields, including socioeconomic and communication systems and nutritional sciences, and can be paired with any Penn State major.

Penn State has once again been recognized among the nation's top producers of Peace Corps volunteers. With 50 undergraduate alumni serving overseas and working in fields such as agriculture, education, environment, health, community economic development and youth development, the University is No. 8 on the Peace Corps' 2017 rankings of colleges and universities in the large school category.

Penn State is firmly committed to ensuring that every student, faculty and staff member feels safe in our community. Nurturing a welcoming environment where education and research can flourish is one of our top priorities. As part of our obligation and commitment as a university, we also are dedicated to the right of members of our community to express their opinions on matters of concern, but we will not tolerate discrimination, harassment or violence. This site offers up-to-date statements and resources that may be helpful for those looking for accurate information on Penn State’s position on immigration, changes in federal policy and key issues impacting our community.

"Food production must double by 2050 to feed the world's growing population." This truism has been repeated so often in recent years that it has become widely accepted among academics, policymakers and farmers, but now researchers are challenging this assertion and suggesting a new vision for the future of agriculture.

Africa and agroforestry — defined as agriculture that incorporates the cultivation and conservation of trees — are in Penn State professor Michael Jacobson's blood, and the combination has helped shape his career. In turn, the forest economist has played an important role in launching a tree-based biofuel initiative that has major implications for the continent and its millions of subsistence farmers.

The issues facing international students and scholars in the United States at a time of potential changes in immigration and visa regulations, along with the University’s strong commitment to supporting its students, were the topics of a Penn State town hall meeting on the University Park campus Thursday (Feb. 16) evening.

A program developed by Penn State food scientists is training students in Armenia on food safety practices and procedures, with an eye toward improving the safety of the country's food supply chain — from crop production and processing to packaging, handling, marketing and consumption.
Catherine Cutter, professor of food science in the College of Agricultural Sciences, and Siroj Pokharel, postdoctoral researcher in food science, partnered with Virginia Tech to bring the Food Safety Systems Management Professional Certificate Program to the Agribusiness Teaching Center at the International Center for Agribusiness Research and Education in Yerevan, Armenia.

Researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences have received a $7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, or ARPA-E, to design a low-cost, integrated system that can identify and screen for high-yielding, deeper-rooted crops.
The interdisciplinary team, led by Jonathan Lynch, distinguished professor of plant nutrition, will combine a suite of technologies designed to identify phenotypes and genes related to desirable root traits, with the goal of enhancing the breeding of crop varieties better adapted for nitrogen and water acquisition and carbon sequestration.

On January 27, 2017, the President of the United States signed an Executive Order (EO) on immigration. Several aspects of the EO will impact members of our Penn State international community. Global Programs is committed to serving our Penn State international students, faculty and scholars. This website summarizes the latest information pertaining to this Executive Order. As more information becomes available this information will be updated.